1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an eye wash system, and, more particularly, to a portable, compact, low-cost eye wash system which can be used in an emergency.
2. Description of the Prior Art
My U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,410 shows portable eye wash systems intended for use in an emergency. These systems include a fluid reservoir having a flexible squeeze container mounted on a housing and a trough pivoted at one end to the housing. An eye piece at the other end of the trough is engaged with the user""s face adjacent his eye. For enabling the user to view his eye, a mirror is mounted on the housing. A fluid line extends from the housing along the trough to a spray outlet on the trough positioned to spray the user""s eye. The trough may be pivoted to an operative position perpendicular to the axis of the reservoir or to a storage position in which the reservoir rests in the trough. The flow of liquid may be cut off by means of a lever-operated valve in the housing or by a closure cap mounted on an arm extending from the housing along the squeeze bottle and engaging the spray outlet when the trough is in the storage position. In order to provide a satisfactory seal, a rubber sealing cushion is used as the closure cap.
Petterson U.S. Pat. No. 4,002,168, FIG. 19, shows an eye wash dispenser in which a pivoted trough seals the orifice.
It is sometimes required that the eye wash system dispense a limited quantity of a prescription liquid. Py U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,929 shows an ocular vial for applying a 20 microliter drop of medicament into the user""s eye. A supply cavity feeds the liquid to a drop cavity which is then closed by a piston. When the piston is depressed, the drop is applied through an orifice. This device is a complex eye dropper which does not spray the liquid into the user""s eye and includes no means for positioning a spray outlet relative to the user""s eye. A screw-on cap includes a nipple for sealing the orifice.
Py U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,986 also shows a dispenser including a drop cavity which holds a predetermined volume of fluid to be emitted in the form of a drop. A spring causes expansion of the dispenser to emit a drop through the nozzle. A projecting finger is engaged with the user""s eyelid.
Py U.S. Pat. No. 4,946,452 also uses an eyepiece for properly positioning a medicament dispenser. An outer housing is slidably engaged over an inner housing to force the closed end of the vial towards the nozzle and displace a predetermined volume of medicament through the nozzle.
Gibilisco U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,207,657 and 5,178,613 show dispensers for ophthalmic liquids which have movable tops that rotate to seal the dispensing tips. In Gibilisco U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,634, a cap moves up and down and has a flexible shield member which bends as the cap moves down to close the aperture.
Shapiro et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,795,342 show an ocular irrigation device including a sliding member carrying a hollow-arcuate member with dispensing orifices and a channel member carrying an eyelid engaging member.
Feldman U.S. Pat. No. 5,578,019 provides an eye drop applicator having an eyelid retractor and a pivoted closure.
Other eye drop dispensers of interest are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,429,621; 5,154,710; 5,401,259; 3,193,575; and 2,736,316.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved portable, low cost eye wash device which can be used in an emergency to flush an eye or to apply a predetermined quantity of an ophthalmic medicament to an eye.
In the eye wash systems of my U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,410, the spray orifice is sealed by a closure cap which engages the spray outlet after rotating the fluid reservoir into the trough. It is an object of the present invention to provide improved means for sealing the spray outlet.
Because it is sometimes necessary to dispense a limited quantity of an ophthalmic medicament, it is an object of the invention to provide an eye wash system having improved metering means to limit the quantity of the liquid dispensed.
An eye wash system of the present invention includes first and second base members, one of which is slidable on the other, to form a trough-shaped structure. An arcuate eye piece is formed at the front end of the first base member for positioning the system for flushing a user""s eye. The eye wash liquid is supplied from a coupling assembly, comprising a liquid receiving housing into which a flexible squeeze bottle is threaded, the housing being pivotally mounted at the rear end of the second base member. A fluid line runs from the housing along the second base member to a spray outlet near the front end of the second base member and is positioned to spray the liquid into the user""s eye when the eyepiece is engaged with the user""s face along an arc below the user""s eye. The housing may be pivoted to an operative position perpendicular to the base members and to a storage position in which the housing and bottle lie in the trough parallel to the base members. A closure cap is formed on the front end of the first base member just behind the eye piece and facing to the rear at the same level as the spray outlet. When the first base member is slid to its forward position with the housing pivoted to its operative position perpendicular to the trough and with the eye piece is positioned against the user""s face below his eye, the spray outlet is properly positioned to spray the user""s eye. When the first base member is slid to its rearward position, and the housing is pivoted to its storage position, the spray outlet is moved into engagement with the closure cap on the first base member. Because the first base member slides with a precise rectilinear movement, a good seal is obtained between the sealing cap and the spray orifice. In order to maintain the first base member in its forward position with the spray orifice properly positioned to spray the liquid into the user""s eye and in its rearward position with the closure cap held against the spray orifice, cooperating retaining means are provided on the first and second base members. The first base member has a bottom wall having an opening the rear side of which is closed by a bridge member. The second base member has a bottom wall, the bottom side of which has a recessed section with a boss forming fore and aft grooves. The boss is positioned on a resilient tongue formed by slots through the bottom wall of the second base member. When the first base member is slid to its forward position, the bridge member seats in the fore groove to block further sliding motion. When the first base member is slid to its retracted position, the bridge member seats in the aft groove to block further sliding motion and maintain the cover cap in engagement with the spray outlet.
Detent means latches the housing to its operative position perpendicular to the base members or in to its storage position in the trough parallel to the base members. To this end, the coupling assembly includes a retaining structure below the housing when the housing is in its operative position perpendicular to the base members. A pair of detent grooves are formed on the retaining structure, and a detent ridge is formed on the upper side of, and at the free end of, the resilient tongue formed on the bottom wall of the second base member. When the housing is in its operative position, the detent ridge seats in one of the grooves to hold the housing in the operative position. When the housing is in its storage position, it is held by the detent ridge engaged in the other detent groove.
To enable the user to view his eye with the eye piece engaged with his face and the eye wash system in position for use, a mirror is fastened to the housing on a wall facing the eye piece.
While the eye wash system of the invention may be used to rinse contaminants from the user""s eye, it also has utility for applying a limited quantity of an ophthalmic medicament, such as a prescription medicine. For this use of the system, it is necessary to provide metering means for dispensing a limited quantity of the liquid. In a first embodiment of metering means, the spray nozzle includes a chamber within which a polyvinyl chloride or silicone rubber disk is movable along a guide pin aligned with the tubing conveying the liquid from the bottle and the nozzle orifice. A spring biases the disk to close the tubing. When the user squeezes the bottle, the pressure of the fluid moves the disk towards the nozzle orifice permitting a limited quantity of the liquid to flow from the tubing around the disk and out the nozzle orifice.
In a second embodiment of the metering means, a cylindrical nozzle chamber is provided to receive the liquid from the fluid line. The chamber has a conical end portion with the spray outlet located at the apex thereof. A flexible disk is located in the cylindrical nozzle chamber having an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the chamber. The edge of the disk has apertures formed or cut out of the disk. When the liquid is dispensed through the fluid line, a small amount of the fluid is forced around the disk through the cutouts. The bulk of the fluid then distorts the central part of the disk and pushes the central part against the conical end surface of the chamber to close the spray outlet at the apex of this surface. In this way, a metered dose of eye drops is sprayed into the user""s eye. The corners of the cutouts on the disk may be folded forwardly to provide extra elastic spring to the disk.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and drawings.